According to 19th-century French novelist Gustave Flaubert, and anyone who has ever waited for a piping hot burrito to cool to an edible temperature, anticipation increases pleasure. Maybe that's why we love cookbooks and food writing so much. For dedicated imbibers, the only thing better than eating or drinking something spectacular is planning one's next great indulgence. As we enter a month dedicated to gift-giving and epicurean extravagance, we culled the best food and beverage books of the year to help you prolong the joys of the season. As Flaubert might have said, A votre sante, dear readers.

“Besh Big Easy is a deliberate paperback,” New Orleans chef John Besh writes in the introduction to his fourth and latest tome. “I don’t want it sitting on your coffee table, I want it well-used in your kitchen.” (And, hey, who are we to argue?)